Keys and cryptographic identifications (“IDs”) play a key role in many applications which require user verification, such as computer systems, and the like. In an exemplary peer-to-peer computer system, a user identification (“ID”) might be used as a verifier to a systems administrator that a user is entitled to access a network when the ID is presented electronically, such as electronic mail. Alternatively, IDs may be transmitted by voice or by writing.
In the past IDs have been presented manually using business cards or verbally. The IDs are typically a long stream of binary numbers that are not easy to remember. The IDs may be secured using cryptographic processes. However, the protected IDs are typically longer yet and also hard to pass around easily. Thus a user further gives up ease of use when protecting an ID with encryption.